Training & Education
Royal Navy’s Lynx Lights Up the Night Sky
The Royal Navy’s Lynx helicopter from 815 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, lit up the night sky with her decoy flares as part of an exercise in the Indian Ocean. The helicopter is on a nine-month deployment to the Gulf with HMS Richmond, a Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate which is silhou
Standing NATO Maritime Groups Meet at Sea
Last week Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) met with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) while operating in the Eastern Mediterranean. Both groups had the opportunity to perform a passing exercise, characterized as sailing in formation. SNMG1 took the opportunity to refuel with SNMG2 ESPS CA
SNMG2 Pays Visit to Aksaz, Turkey
This week Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) entered in the port of Aksaz, Turkey for a planned port visit during its assignment to NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR. After the group assemble in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), the German flagship frigate FGS HAMBURG, followed by t
Merlin Helicopter Gets Update on Med Migrant Mission
A Merlin from 814 Naval Air Squadron is guided down on to the flight deck of Italy’s flagship for the first time as part of the international migrant mission in the Mediterranean. The 814 NAS crew normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall flew on to the Aircraft Car
SNMG1 Wraps Up Its Black Sea Deployment
NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) concluded a visit to Istanbul July 27, following their participation in Exercises BREEZE and SEA SHIELD during Group’s deployment into the Black Sea. Led by Rear Admiral Alberto Correia (Portuguese Navy), SNMG1 comprised during the Blac
US Navy’s Destroyer Pays Visit to Plymouth, UK
The US destroyer USS Jason Dunham sailed into Devonport Naval Base, UK, to begin a five day visit on Friday, July 31. USS Jason Dunham has been on deployment from her home port of Norfolk, Virginia since January this year. She has visited various European countries such as Montenegro, Bulgaria and P
UK and Egyptian Naval Vessels Train Together
Royal Navy warship HMS Bangor has been working out with the Egyptian Navy warship ENS Al Zaffer – the first joint UK and Egyptian naval training in over three years. HMS Bangor, a Sandown Class mine-hunter, sailed with ENS Al Zaffer, a Jianghu I class destroyer, from the home of the Egyptian Red Sea
Fire Breaks Out on USS Mount Whitney
A fire broke out on board USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) while the ship was in Viktor Lenac Shipyard (Rijeka, Croatia) July 31, 2015. There were no personnel injuries in the fire, which was extinguished within 45 minutes by ship’s force and shipyard fire brigade personnel. The cause of fire and extent o
EU Navfor HQ Staff Visits Japanese Detachment in Djibouti
On 25 July 2015, staff from Operation Atalanta Force Headquarters visited the Japanese Detachment of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 in Djibouti. Led by the Force HQ Chief of Staff, Captain Jens Nykvist, the meeting was hosted by Captain Masahisa Motomura, Commanding Officer of the Deployment Air-Forc
Chief of Djiboutian Navy Visits ESPS Galicia
On Saturday 25th of July 2015, EU Naval Force Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gomez Fernando de Cordoba, welcomed the Chief of the Djiboutian Navy, Colonel Abdourahman Aden Cher, on board Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Galicia. The visit included a guided tour of the Spanish warship, followed by
Iceland Welcomes HMS Somerset
Sailors on board HMS Somerset were given the rare opportunity to visit the spectacular sights of Iceland while on a short break between North Atlantic patrols. Although the North Atlantic is a regular operating area for Royal Navy warships it is not often that there is a stop in Iceland and it was t
Head of Royal Navy Pays Visit to Reservists in Scotland
The head of the Royal Navy Admiral Sir George Zambellas visited reservists in Scotland where he presented a medal and gave an address to the assembled sailors. HMS Scotia is based in Rosyth, and is the East of Scotland’s Royal Naval Reserve unit which has around 100 members of the Royal Naval Reserv
Royal Navy Aircraft Handlers Branch Marks 70th Anniversary
This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the Royal Navy Aircraft Handlers Branch, who was formed to meet a need in 1945 to launch and recover aircraft from the navy’s large carriers. The first Aircraft Handlers (AH) were intrinsically involved with operations at the latter part of World War 2, that s
ESPS Galicia Reaches Halfway Point in Counter-Piracy Deployment
Spanish warship, ESPS Galicia, recently reached the halfway point in her deployment as the flagship for Operation Atalanta. Since joining the Operation in May 2015, ESPS Galicia has sailed over 15,000 nautical miles, conducting counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin, as well as